Volvo V70 Transmission Problems

Comments

I am kinda in the same boat as the previous member, my V70 has 140K and I am beginning to experience the problems other members are experiencing with their transmissions and air conditions. My dilemma is the car has high miles, but other than those two problems it seems to be running fine. I have replaced a transmission on a Benz E320 and it was painful. However, it now has over 250K miles on it and it is still running pretty good. Is the V70 capable of doing something like this or is it about to turn into a money-pit? BTW, I like the car and most of the cars that I would replace it fall into the 25K-30K+ price range.

it depends on how far gone the issue is. If you trans is shifting very hard between gears consistently, then you'll need it to be replaced, Volvo transmissions were not built to be "fixed" by a shop. There's a specific ECU that controls the operation of the trans and it is adaptive - meaning that it learns driving behavior. Once one or two of the shifting solenoids start screwing up...the brain tryies to compensate, but it actually magnifies the problem over time.

The trans is made by a 3rd party vendor or rebuilt by a 3rd party, not Volvo. Even if you get a "ner" trans, it wii be a rebuilt unit and the problem may happen again. My '01 V70XC is on its 3rd trans & the wagon has only 90k on the odometer. I've been able to get Volvo to pay for both replacements, but it was a real hassle. I've now changed my driving style to compensate for this issue happening again & I think it has worked. I drive in an urban environment & I think there is a definite flaw in either the brain or the trans which is helped by the on/off gas, brake frequency of city driving. I don't think the brain can always react quickly enough and therefore, gets caught in a false neutral and a hard downshift between 3rd to 2nd or 2nd to 1st gear. I've been driving a bit more aggressively with this trans and it has helped. I'm "coasting" less between being on the gas and being on the brakes. I can feel when it wants to surge by going into a false neutral and either get on the gas or the brakes (depending on the situation) and everything remains smooth.

It's not something I want to do, but I also don't want to buy another car right now. The rest of the car is great! The engine is very strong and I've added some nice suspension mods to make it more fun. It is what it is at this point.

Lucky, mine cost $5K. Volvo won't pay (at least I couldn't get them to) but contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. They are collecting data about this issue. If enough people report this problem, there will be a recall.

Do you have a contact email for the NHTSA? My V70 has been to 2 mechanics, same problem with transmission. I bought the software upgrade, that did nothing. Now my car has the "Transmission Service Required" light on and refuses to move. I'm getting mixed messages from mechanics. One says do a valve repair on the transmission, the other says if I do that it may be $$ down the drain as the transmission could still die altogether. The mechanic who wants to sell me the valve repair (a dealership) says that it will fix the problem. The one voting this move down (a reputable Volvo repair shop) says just replace the transmission altogether (twice the cost at $4500). I want to file a complaint with the NHTSA. Obviously, I've got to fix the car to even sell it (nothing's wrong other than this HUGE problem), but I am eager to get rid of it once the repair is paid off. And I will swear off Volvos forever. :lemon:

Not an actual email address but if you go to:http://www.nhtsa.gov/Contactyou can send them email.I think to file a complaint though you need to call. They take a lot of information and then they send a form that needs to be filled out. It took a long time to receive so have patience.

I have a 2001 XC70 with about 140,000 miles. For the past 10,000 or so, it has behaved like the ETM was bad again. Take you foot off the gas to coast, and it bucks like the engine is missing. Now, when you start off, it almost has no power. A few months ago, I took the car to the the dealer to check the ETM (which was replaced under the recall). He said the car showed no codes at all. However, when he took it for a test drive with me, he said it needed a new tranny and it would be $5,000. Now, how come there were no codes for the transmission? My mechanic (a volvo guy) said it looks like the tranny to him and I have a few options. I can go with a Volvo tranny, a used or rebuilt one. Love the car, but hate the tranny and think it may go the same way again. I e-mailed NHSTA and got a response within 24 hours. Just got off the phone with them and they only have 14 complaints. They like to have 20 before they go to Volvo. Get this message out please. The more complaints the better.

This started happening to us 12 months ago - first attempt by Volvo agent was just to replace fluid 12 months ago - problem presisted.

Ours is an 2002 V70T5 with (just) 90K miles on clock

Just taken it in again and they say full replacement of transmission is only option.

Have only checked this evening - and it is quite unbelievable as to how many threads and posts on different forums are out there on this specific issue.

Clearly, it would seem, there is a fundamental problem with the design of these transmission units / their integartion into the car - but no admission from Volvo (apart - at least from one thread it would appear) from secret internal communication within Volvo.

having had Volvo's in the family for over 40 years, but now having read the many threads on this specific issue, I am highly unlikely to ever consider one again unless they come clean on the issue and sort out what appears to be a problem for many hundreds if not thousands of Volvo owners globally.

From reading these posts, it is obvious that there are known transmission issues for Volvos in the 2002 range. I wish I had read these 4 days ago!!

I feel duped by a used car dealer is it possible for someone to somehow temporarily mask any transmission issues just long enough to get it sold?

A little background info On the afternoon of Monday, March 14, 2011, I test drove a 2002 Volvo V70 XC 2.4L AWD. I drove it for about 20 minutes and I fell in love with it! I officially purchased the car on Tuesday, March 15 at around 5:00 PM. The next morning I backed out of my driveway, put the car in drive, and it jerked a little bit &#150; it reminded me of when I was 16 and learning how to drive a manual 5 speed. The rest of my 5 minute commute to work was uneventful, but the jerking occurred again 2 or 3 times over the course of the next 2 days. When I left work on Friday at 4:30 PM, the car jerked repeatedly. Each time I came to a stop and started to accelerate again, it was like the car didn&#146;t know which gear it should be in. At one point on my short drive home from the office, I was going about 35 mph and all of a sudden it was like someone had slipped the car into neutral and was slamming down on the gas. After a second or two, it clicked back into gear. I called the dealership Friday at 5:00 PM (exactly 72 hrs/3 days past purchase time) to let them know that there were definitely transmission issues. They told me to bring the car in today (Saturday) so that they could diagnose/fix it. On my trip out there, the transmission slipped repeatedly and it actually stalled 3 times (accelerating from a complete stop).

Good luck...unless a few people die because of the transmission issue - nothing's going to get done. My transmission has been replaced twice, but I got Volvo to pay for it....and that took a lot of work.

We recently bought a 2001 volvo v70xc at a car auction. The transmission was slipping immediately. We drove it very little until we could get it checked out, but we didn't get that far....I took my family for a drive in the car when they came down for a visit....not fun! I had to push the car after it had lost all power. Had to replace the alternator. We thought (and so did the mechanic) that this would fix the tranny slip, due to having more power in the car because of the new alternator. It did not, in fact, it is worse. We got the car back last night and took it for a drive with our 2 boys because they had not been for a ride due to lack of trust for the car! We were right to have a bad feeling....we drove about 1 mile, dropped of some redbox movies, drove out of the parking lot to head back home and the car would not shift out of the low gear, then BANG, it shifted hard. Multiple stoplights later and practical whiplash, we made it home. The car is not to be trusted and we have filed a complaint with the NHTSA and I will be calling Volvo tomorrow. You can call the NHSTA at 1-888-DASH-2-DOT. I really wish I could love this car, and I hope we all can get this problem solved together. These cars are too expesive to keep on fixing! They should be built well if we are paying well just to drive them off the lot.

So you bought a 10-11 year old ca at an auction, having no idea what the service history of the car, and it is piece of crap. WOW! Maybe thats why it was at the auction, cause the previous owner got rid of it. How can you folks expect any car manufacturer to stand behind a car for 10-11 years? If thats what you want, buy a hyundai. I suggest you buy something a little newer or quit worrying abouy buying a yuppy volvo..Buy a toyota or a honda...Or even read consumer reports before you buy these cars..what a novel idea

Maybe if people would take responsibility for their own errors in judgement, then the car makers wouldn't have to filter through the thousands of whackos to give proper service/support to the few people who have a genuinely defective product.

yes, we bought a car at an auction! we did find out that the owner before the owner that brought it to the auction knew there was trans problems, so he sold it to the guy who brought it there! i actually did own a hyundai. never had a toyota, honda or volvo. i think it's pretty silly you come on here and act like you are an almighty creature and [non-permissible content removed] at people that are having an issue the SAME AS EVERYONE ELSE who have the car, regardless of where we fricken bought the car.

I recently brought a Volvo V70 XC from Premium Wheels at 10731 Yonge St, Thorn-hill. after two days the car was jerking and transmission oil was leaking. The third day the engine was slipping and not moving more than 20kms without power and high RPM 3000.Took it back but he refused any refund or repairs, so i called the police and they referred the OMVC @ 41-226-4500 and then the dealer agreed to check the car and perhaps repair it . still waiting to get it fixed. would cost me 2500-3000$ to fix it.Be careful of this dealer

Under no circumstances should you post your phone number (or any other personal contact information) in the forums. These messages are NOT private - they can be seen by the entire internet, we have no way to verify that the number belongs to the person who claims its theirs, and malicious use of your phone can occur.

How did you get Volvo to cover the cost of a new trans? I just purchased a 2001 V70 last week with 61,000 miles. It was jerking two days later and the shop says I have to have a new transmission or it isn't even safe to drive. I had been warned about how epensive volvo's are for repairs when they reach 100,000, but since I only put lest than 10 on a car each year, I figured this car should easily last without a major problem for 2-3 years.

Post from March 2009: "I talked to Volvo again and Exxon-Mobil again and got more clarification on this issue...Mobil 3309 conventional fluid was tested and APPROVED by Volvo, thats why the spec sheet for the product lists specific cars: such as Volvo V70. The NEWLY reformulated (just 5 months ago) Mobil 1 ATF synthetic is "recommended" for these same transmissions...It will say NEW FORMULA on the bottle and the bottle is grey. It is $7.90 a quart. Certainly much less than Volvo's brand. Here's Exxon-Mobil's no. if you want to call yourself: 800-662-4525 option 3."

My 2004 V70 now has 120,000 trouble-free miles and I've begun buying supplies to do my 120,000 mile service. To that end, I have been researching (again) approved transmission fluids to see if anything has changed in the past 2 years.

My main motivation this time around is to take my V70 to my local Ford dealer and let them use their machine rather than do the flush myself. I will speak with the Ford service manager to ensure that they will do the flush and use the correct JWS 3309 (Toyota T-IV) fluid.

I reposted the above quoted message from I discussion I had in 2009 (read posts from around 250 - 260) because I just called Exxon-Mobil to ask about using Mobil1 ATF synthetic fluid. I spoke with Luke in their tech support department and he confirmed that Mobil 1 ATF synthetic is NOT JWS 3309 compliant. He said the only transmission fluid that should be used in the Volvo V70 is Mobil ATF 3309.

For info, the Ford Fusion V6 with 6-speed automatic (Aisin F-21) transmission uses the same Mobil ATF 3309 fluid, which is also known as Motorcraft Premium Automatic Transmission Fluid (aka Toyota T-IV).

Lesson learned - there are still no approved synthetic fluids. I can't help but wonder how many V70's are out there with either the original (never changed) or improper fluid in the transmission. A failure waiting to happen...

The Ford quick lube shop wants $169 to do the flush for me (including 15 qts of ATF). That's a really good deal - it would cost me $110 just to buy the Toyota T-IV alone (16 qts). Add $25 for the IPD kit and I'm at $135! It's definitely worth $35 to not have to do it myself.

The Volvo dealer quoted me $270 to do the flush. They don't even do a complete flush. They do a drain&fill - drive - drain&fill - drive - drain&fill. I told them "no thanks."

I was extremely lucky! The dealer from which I purchased the car purchased another transmission (from a used Volvo, same year, model and mileage) for well under $1000 and had it shipped from GA and installed in the car. The car is running like a champ now and it is by far the most comfortable car I have ever been in. A new transmission from Volvo would have cost approx. $7000 depending on "any other issues they found with the vehicle" since they had no record of it being serviced by the original owner. I will never buy another Volvo simply because they don't stand behind their products anymore, but I will drive this one as long as it lasts.

we have a 2001 v70xc and have had transmission issues the entire time! Multiple software upgrades delayed the issue until out of warranty! Major design quality issues when transmissions start going out at 50000 miles and volvo is doing nothing about it. Obviously only a class action law suite will resolve. We will gladly join. We just paid cash for a 2010 xc90 and feel like we made a huge mistake! Volvo no longer means quality and customer service. I hope someone from corporate is reading this. Do not buy volvo!

Volvo refuses to do anything about the issue with transmissions. I contacted Volvo USA twice and tried to contact the division in Sweeden (my email was redirected back to Volvo USA). I will never own another one, and it is true that you cannot drive to a Volvo certified mechanic without dropping $1000 so between maintenance costs and repairs, the financial hits just keep on coming! Mine still only has 62,000 miles and I spent $1200 last week when my key wouldn't turn in the ignition and a timing belt was supposedly cracked. They even charged me for a loaner car while mine was in the shop for four days waiting on parts!